Yesterday I attended the annual Civil War reenactment at Hale Farm and Village, part of the Western Reserve Historical Society. This year’s reenactment seemed much bigger than in previous years and the battle plan was changed to reflect the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. This first image shows a family of reenactors as they warned the Union troops of approaching Confederate troops that they had seen outside of town. As the battle commenced and guns and canons roared, the crowd was treated to a sight I had seen before, but never so clear!

Canon Fire

It’s unusual to be able to get the exact moment a canon or gun fires, showing the muzzle or canon flash but then what followed really amused the crowd.

Canon Smoke Ring

Canons often produce a smoke ring! It only happened on a few of the shots and I had seen it at other events, but this smoke ring just went on and on, rising into the air and lasting like what seemed like a full 30 seconds! The crowd was just oohing and aahing as it persisted! Quite an unusual sight!

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About Kolman Rosenberg

My interest in photography began as a college newspaper and yearbook photographer during the stormy 1960s and 1970s. I was influenced by many of the great photojournalists and documentary photographers such as W. Eugene Smith, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Margaret Bourke-White and other black and white photographers of Life Magazine and the earlier Farm Security Administration. Though many of these photographers documented the horrors of war and the plight of poverty, they also showed me the dignity and adaptability of human beings in their desire to prevail.

4 Responses to A Civil War Smoke Ring

Thank you for sharing this treat with us. I was there earlier this year for the old time music festival. It is always interesting to see how many different views are taken of the same location. It changes by the type of event and by the eye of the photographer. The photographs you have here are quite fine. The firing of the cannon and the smoke ring are especially good.

I love Civil War history. Your photos made me feel as if I were right there watching the reenactment. Very clear and crisp. It took me back into this important and historical time in America. Thank you for sharing